Race plays a role in Washington Square Park, but often in unpredictable ways. The little survey the author conducted indicates that virtually no one in the park considers race a meaningful basis for social interaction with others, or has anything to do with judgments of deviance. Some urban public spaces are cosmopolitan in that all races are accepted on a more or less equal basis. The history of African Americans in and around the square has been conflictual, largely unwelcoming, and sometimes violent. The demographics of New York City and Greenwich Village indicates that very few African Americans live in the Village, far less than visitors to the park, and the black population of Manhattan is much smaller than that of New York City as a whole—and declining over time. The author conducted a racial tally of dyads in the park and found that whites in-socialize with other whites more than with any other group; blacks socialize more with other blacks than members of other racial categories, as do South Asians, but East Asians socialize more with non-East Asians. Overall, park-goers out-socialize more than elsewhere. The author believes that out-socialization may have long-term effects on racial acceptance.
